To be successful duck hunting public water does not require superior duck calling skills. Nor does success come due to the latest and greatest equipment or a fancy mud boat. Sure, there are huge benefits in having great equipment. Also, using a duck call correctly when the time is right is very important. However, based on my experience, there most important factor in being successful duck hunting public land is being where the ducks want to be. Successful duck hunters do their homework and form a solid game plan before they ever hit the water. You have to be where the ducks want to be. In order to accomplish this task, I recommend a hunter focus on three key skills! The three key skills to master are persistence, scouting and consistent records of each hunt. Each key is equally important as the other. More often then not, the difference between a successful hunter verse an unsuccessful hunter depends on how dedicated one is to mastering these three skills. If you master the three skills I mentioned above and know the basics of calling ducks you can be successful.
The challenge of duck hunting public water
Hunting public water or land is extremely difficult. There are so many challenges the are involved with public land. However, don’t let the challenges discourage you. Some of the best duck hunting in the united states occurs on public places. Some of the best duck hunters I know hunt public water. I think hunting public land makes you a better hunter in general. Not only are you hunting your game, you are forced to make calculated moves and decisions in order to out wit the competition. If you continue to hunt public land you will force yourself to become a better hunter. Now, let’s break down the three keys to success.
Persistence
You have to be persistent. Do not get discourage because of other hunters constantly having better luck then you. They are successful because of the fact they never gave up. Everyone new to duck hunting can get discourage. Its difficult to master. The best hunters out there were beginners at one time. The only way to overcome a difficult challenge is continue trying different methods until you find success. Try to take advantage of different tactics you read about. Put information featured in this article to the field. Sure anyone can get lucky and kill a limit the first time on the water but that is uncommon, trust me! Your going to get good days and bad when duck hunting. However, if you constantly try to learn something on every hunt you will improve. The more you hunt the more information you can obtain and the better you will become. Stay persistence in your duck hunting quest.
Consistent record keeping
Consistent record keeping is critical and often overlooked. What do we mean by consistent record keeping? Good duck hunters constantly try to record as much detail about a hunt as possible. The weather conditions, the exact time of day the birds worked, they record as much information as possible everyday they hunt and countless other details. Historical information is critical for getting an idea of when to hunt, as well as, where to hunt. An example would be the day after a cold front we noticed mallards seemed to like landing in the timber to feed vs landing in a calm pocket of open water to rest the day the cold front blew in. This is a very generalized example but you get the idea.
When the hunt is over write down every detail you can remember. You do not have to spend a lot of time doing this, just a few minutes making note of the weather conditions, date and time when ducks were flying, how the ducks responded to your call, and the species of ducks you killed. I also, like to write down whether I was in the timber or on open water. I also like to make a note of the position of the decoys , the wind direction, and whether or not the day was cloudy or sunny. Remember, the more information you can record the better you can prepare for the future. A journal is an easy way to keep tract of every hunt. Journals are a great way to record valuable information about the hunt.
I personally have keep a duck hunting journal for years. Years ago, I dedicated a note book to duck hunting. Journals are a tool. There are also duck hunting apps for your smart phone that are easy to use and have much of the information already uploaded for the specific day of the hunt. However, I love to use a paper journal. I can literally turn through the pages and look at some of my best hunts from four years ago and see who was hunting with me, where we were hunting and relive the great memories we made on that specific day. I always take a highlighter and mark the top of the pages to indicate a great hunt or something unique happened during a specific hunt. I like to use a red marker to indicate pages representing the days we had a horrible hunt with little to no birds observed in the sky.
Let your journal be unique to you. Use your imagination to create it the way you wish. Just make sure to keep it organized in order to reference information with ease.
Scouting
Scouting is crucial if you want to enjoy success. Scouting is crucial for any kind of hunt. I cannot emphasize how important scouting is for duck hunting public water. Going on a public land duck hunt without scouting is the equivalent of a head coach going into a championship game with out watching film on his or her opponent. You need to have a game plan for the upcoming hunt, otherwise, you will be in for huge disappointment. Time and time again I see weekend warriors struggle. They either come back to the boat ramp with long faces full of disappointment, or they come back to the ramp full of frustration. Worse yet, they are met at the ramp by other hunters mad as hell. Why are the other hunters mad? The guys that have not scouted are often not familiar with the area and have road around all morning looking for thier spot meanwhile disturbing the other hunters setup. This is not a pleasant experience, trust me!
Just like we form a game plan for an upcoming hunt, we should also have a game plan for a scouting mission. Remember, most of us have regular job, families and countless other obligations, so we have to make every moment in the outdoors count. A game plan for scouting is critical for being efficient and obtain the most info as possible. There are some very important observations that need to be observed while on a scouting mission. Below is a list of steps we take for a scouting mission.
- Step 1: Take advantage of online maps
I like to start scouting new areas by looking at areal maps on google. They are free and allow you to get a general idea of the area. Arial maps also can give you a sense of direction and an idea of how the ducks will react to a particular hole with different wind directions. Also, by looking at areal maps, you can discover places you might not knew existed before looking from above.
- Step 2: Make mental notes of land marks and time how long it takes to arrive at your hunting destination.
Before departing on your scouting mission make note of the time you left your house. Once you start your travel to the duck hole, start making mental notes of every unique land mark you encounter while traveling. By doing this, you will have conformation you are on the correct route to your destination while traveling in the dark. Also, once you arrive at your duck hole, check your watch to see how long it took to travel there from your house. This will give you a good idea of what time you should leave your house the morning of the hunt.
- Step 3: Have a gear list of essentials you might need while on a scouting mission
When we go on a scouting mission, we make sure to have plenty of fuel for our boat or atv. Always bring a compass and a gps. We also love to bring binoculars as well, this expands our ability to observe features of a new duck hole. A flare gun is another item we bring just in case we get lost exploring new territory.
- Step 4: Observe as many details as possible while traveling to a potential duck hole
While in route to your destination, take note every time you see a flock of ducks jump off the water. If you see a group of ducks jump while on your way to a spot, mark it on your gps and look over the area they were before you spooked them. Try to see clues to why they were there. By doing this, you obtain valuable info for future hunts.
- Step 5: Mark your coordinates and take pictures
Always use a gps or the gps on your smart phone to mark your final destination. Take pictures with your smart phone of the new duck hole. Again, try to remember unique landmarks while traveling to a hot duck hole. Making a mental note of unique landmarks will help you confirm the route your on is correct while traveling in the dark early in the morning.
- Step 6: Envision the hunt at your new duck hole
Once you are at the desired location, envision a hunt there the next morning. How will you set up your decoy spread? Ask yourself, how will the ducks most likely land with the different wind directions. Try to notice every detail about the spot, this will give you an idea of how to set everything up before daybreak.
Summary
Of course, some of you are probably curious to why I hardly mentioned anything related to duck calling and duck calling tactics for public land. Well, check back with us at Americanhuntingsafari.com. In the near future, I will be dedicating an entire post on the subject of “duck calling tactics for public land”. In the meantime, you can check out the many videos on YouTube for duck calling techniques.
For now, do your homework. Take the information shared on this post and put it to use. If you take advantage of the tips we shared on this post, you will see a drastic improvement duck hunting public land. If you found the information useful and would like to see more, then subscribe to Americanhuntingsafari.com. We would love to hear if you have used these tactics before and had great results. Leave comments below and share any tips that have made you a better duck hunter. For other great tips and tricks for hunting and much more check out our other pages on Americanhuntingsafari.com We hope this posts helps you guys in the woods and on the water!
Thanks for reading!